In Germany, occupational safety and health (OSH) is embodied in and shaped by numerous laws, regulations, and ordinances with a view to ensuring the safety and health of workers in the workplace. The “Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances” (TRGS) reflect the state of technology, occupational safety and health and occupational hygiene as well as other definite knowledge relating to activities involving hazardous substances including their classification and labelling.

Recently the TRGS-513 “Tätigkeiten an Sterilisatoren mit Ethylenoxid und Formaldehyd” (Activities on sterilizers with ethylene oxide and formaldehyde) has been revised and describes the legal requirements and, what is more important in this context, the conditions under which these carcinogenic substances can be handled safely. These substances cannot be entirely substituted, so all targets of protection (patients, environment, workers) are taken into consideration.

The concrete conditions are especially and concisely described in “Anlage 5 TRGS 513 : Verfahrens- und stoffspezifische Kriterien (VSK) bei der Anwendung von Niedertemperatur-Dampf-Formaldehyd-(NTDF)-Verfahren zur Sterilisation im Gesundheitswesen.“

So far this TRGS 513 is in German only.